Kitchen-less Adventures

I loathe McDonald's Happy Meals. It's the equivalent of crack for kids. Hey, let's spend $4 on a cheezy toy for a meal they won't eat! The only thing I will hit a McDonald's up for is the Ice Cream, which may or may not actually contain any dairy in it... who knows. It reminds me of childhood trips to the beach, when we would get a Vanilla Cone from McDonald's and walk back to our room at Motel 6. The very same Motel 6 that had a vibrating bed, which we thought was just as fun as a ride at Disneyland. We were classy like that.

When the kitchen was torn out, the kids started to revolt against the steady stream of cereal and Peanut Butter Sandwiches. The convenience of eating out became very attractive, and I quickly learned a handful cheap eating tricks.

Tuesday - Ikea Meatball Special $2.99 (1 feeds both kids!) or Taco Tuesday! @ Del Taco (where I learned that AK can down 5 taco's in less than 5 minutes, she really does have a future in competitive eating!) Hot Dog on a Stick for $1 corndogs (which it turned out that neither the kids or the dogs would eat it)

Wednesday - Carl's Jr. 99cent Hamburger Kid's Meal

Let's stop there, because that is where the story gets good. I found going out to eat gave me a chance to get away from the construction and really focus on the kids. I have been very distracted most of the time, because I'm mulling over decisions I have to make.

On the drywall day, we had to literally cover every item that we owned with plastic. I put a bunch of items in my car that I didn't want to get dusty and off we went for the day's adventure. The dogs had to come with us, which meant the stuff was piled up to the roof in the front seat. Hooray! It was a Wednesday so we hit Carl's Jr for the 99cent kid's meal! I pulled into a parking spot right in front so I could keep an eye on the dogs. When I got out of the car a bunch of stuff fell out too, and I quickly stuffed it back in. I also noticed that I was covered in dust and had a smear of dirt on my face, so I tried to wipe it off in the side mirror.

We walked in and placed our order with the cashier, named Patsy, who had apparently been watching me since I pulled up. I mentioned to Patsy, "This Wednesday Kid's Special has really saved me, we don't have a kitchen right now." She just stared at me and said, "Oh." Then I walked away to get our drinks. When I came back to pick up our meal, she said, "I put some coupons on your tray, and some extra milks for the kids. Anytime you need anything, you just come in and ask for me."

Perplexed I went back to our booth and we ate. I then saw the Patsy the Cashier gesturing to my family and my car while she talked to her manager, and I started to get nervous, something was going on. Patsy reappeared at my table with a stack of coupons. She knelt down next to my table and spoke in a low voice.

"I've been down on my luck before too, I have faith that you guys are going to get back on your feet and find a place to live soon. I talked to my manager and anytime you want come here and you guys can eat for free. I also have a bunch of free meal coupons in case my manager or myself aren't here."

Oh my gosh... she thinks I'm homeless and living in my car. The dust on my clothes... my packed filthy car... my kids who are giddy at the excitement of french fries... the comment about no kitchen.... note to self : dust off before leaving the house.

I tried to say, "Oh no wait..." But she interrupts, "I insist... please." and puts the coupons in my hand.

So what would you do at this point?